A Brotherhood Divided
by Wedjat
Summary: AU. Two years after murdering his own father and becoming the dictator of Japan, Seto Kaiba's world is flipped upside down when Mokuba learns of his wicked ways. He allies himself with Seto's worst nightmare: a reclusive rebel known as the King of Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I keep making new stories, I know, but I've had this idea for MONTHS and I had to get opinions on it. I got the idea from listening to the song "Handlebars" by Flobots, haha. Tell me what you think please!

Also, read the summary in here too for more information.

**Summary: **AU. Gozaburo Kaiba had been the relentless dictator of Japan for years. He had trained Seto to be his successor, but the latter became power hungry and assassinated his step father. Two years later, Mokuba has the shock of his life when he discovers his brother's cruel ways. He teams up with the reclusive rebel, the King of Games, in order to save Japan from Seto's corrupt regime.

**A Brotherhood Divided**

_Tick-tock._

The sound was deafening. All he heard anymore was the constant clicking of the clock as the hands moved over the face.

_Tick-tock._

Life was at a standstill for young Mokuba Kaiba. His own house was a prison. He had memorized every inch of his room from the small chips on his wooden door to the small spaces in the corners that the painters had missed with blue.

_Tick-tock._

Mokuba clenched his fists. He often dreamed of playing and laughing with the other children outside of his prison, but his older brother wouldn't permit him to leave. He always said that it was for Mokuba's own good, that the world was a dangerous place. As much as Mokuba looked up to and loved Seto Kaiba, he refused to believe that the world was filled with dangerous, evil individuals. He knew that there were many good people out there, he had seen them himself before Gozaburo had come along.

Mokuba dug his fingernails into his palms. He hated it when he thought of Gozaburo. He was an evil bastard of a step father that had torn Seto apart. Seto tried to be strong, but Mokuba could see that he was damaged, broken. Seto had been kind and care-free as a child, but when Gozaburo took them in, he became cold and unreachable. The very thought brought tears to Mokuba's eyes, but he fought them off as best as he could.

_Tick-tock._

A slow creaking noise told Mokuba that he was no longer alone. Mokuba sighed sadly. As much as he hated being alone, he hated being alone with Seto even more. It was too painful.

"Mokuba."

Mokuba shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Seto's voice was soft and gentle, but he could hear the exhaustion and weariness underneath.

Seto slowly approached him. He placed his hands on Mokuba's shoulders, causing the latter to jump slightly at the contact. Hot breath disturbed a few strands of Mokuba's long raven hair as Seto let out a deep sigh. Something was obviously troubling him, but Mokuba was afraid to ask.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba choked out, staring blankly at the clock in front of him.

"A very important military facility was infiltrated. Several of my best scientists were found screaming and flailing while trying to claw out their own eyes." Seto's grip tightened on Mokuba's shoulders. "They're on their way to a mental hospital as we speak."

Mokuba blinked and turned to look at Seto curiously. "The King of Games?"

Seto gritted his teeth and nodded. "I believe so, yes. That seems to be his own special brand of warfare…driving people insane."

Mokuba turned back to the clock and stared. He was always intrigued when the King of Games struck. Strange stories always followed, and normally at least one person would be found acting like a schizophrenic. He had gotten his name supposedly because he always played a game with his victims before they lost their minds. Mokuba frowned and scratched at his hair. The King of Games and his followers were determined to bring Seto down…but why? Mokuba knew that his brother had a cold exterior…but he was a good person. Seto always tried to be the best brother he could to Mokuba.

Gozaburo had been a ferocious dictator capable of genocide, imprisonment without the writ of habeas corpus and other atrocities. That's why Seto had taken him out. That's why Seto had taken control. Seto was a just leader.

Seto leaned his forehead on the top of Mokuba's head, snapping the latter out of his thoughts. "I hate keeping you in here."

Mokuba swallowed against the lump in his throat. "Then let me out."

Seto sighed again. "I can't do that. There are a lot of…" He lifted his head and released Mokuba's shoulders. He stood tall once more. "There are _some _people who don't like me or my family. In case you've forgotten, you fall into that category. We've been through this. I wish I could let you live a normal, happy life, Mokuba but…but it's dangerous out there. What about the King of Games? What if you were out there on your own? I would not be able to live with myself if he attacked you…and made you…"

Mokuba smiled slightly. "Insane?" he asked, a slight laugh in his voice.

Seto shook his head and smiled as well. "It's not funny."

Mokuba said nothing for a short time. There was something on the tip of his tongue that he wished to say, but he was afraid of how his brother would react.

"Why don't you quit?"

Seto froze. After all the time that Seto had been the ruler of Japan, never once had Mokuba suggested quitting. He had always tried to convince Seto to let him out or to take a break when things got tough, but quitting?

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Quitting is out of the question," he muttered coldly.

Mokuba's shoulders slumped over. He hated it when Seto had that tone of voice. He hated it when Seto shut down around him. It was the reason why being alone with him was so difficult. Mokuba always seemed to say the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry, Seto…I just wish we could _both _be happy."

Seto crossed his arms. "And what makes you think I'm not? I have everything every man only dreams of! I have an entire nation under my command! I can do whatever I please! Why would I give that up?"

Mokuba frowned as he felt a sharp pang in his chest. Seto's harsh tone hurt, but it was his words that caught Mokuba's attention.

"You can do whatever you want huh? You think you're better than everyone else?"

Mokuba had thought those words, but he hadn't spoken them. The person that did had a female voice.

Both Mokuba and Seto whirled around to see a young blonde girl standing in the doorway, obvious anger and hatred written all over her face. Mokuba straightened up at the sight of her, a smile lighting up his face.

"Rebecca!" he cried out happily. Rebecca Hawkins had been a child prodigy, and had used her genius to study medicine. Not many knew her well enough to call her anything besides Dr. Hawkins, but she and Mokuba had become extremely close. They were both the same age: 15.

Seto groaned. "Please, Dr. Hawkins, spare me for once. I'm hardly in the mood for your negative views of me."

Rebecca walked into the room and stood next to Mokuba. "Perhaps if you didn't do everything in your power to earn them, I wouldn't have to speak them aloud."

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously as he eyed her. "If you weren't Mokuba's friend, I'd-"

"You'd what, Seto? Go ahead, I'm listening. So is Mokuba, by the way."

Seto's eyes darted to Mokuba. He was appalled at himself for slipping up. He really hadn't gotten enough sleep lately. He was normally as sharp as a knife, but lately things hadn't been going his way. He couldn't get a wink of sleep. He had the King of Games and his followers to worry about and the United Nations at his back. He didn't have the time.

"Forget it."

Seto shot her one last, deadly glare before turning on his heel and swiftly exiting the room. Rebecca sighed and fell into a chair near Mokuba's desk.

"Talking to him drains the energy out of me," she mumbled. She looked over at Mokuba, who seemed to be very upset.

"I don't understand. Why do you hate him? What would he do to you if you weren't my friend?" Mokuba sighed and laid his head on his desk. "Why can't we just be happy…?"

Rebecca gave him a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Mokuba, your brother and I just have very different views on things…deep down I know he's a good person, but your stepfather…he really messed Seto up."

Mokuba sighed again. "You didn't answer my second question."

Rebecca frowned. She didn't want to tell Mokuba the truth. If she did, he would be crushed. Mokuba wouldn't be able to deal with the information. The truth was, Seto was not a just ruler. Not in the slightest, and those who spoke against him disappeared. Everyone except for her and the King of Games, that is. Her friendship with Mokuba protected her, and the King of Games was slippier than ice.

Mokuba wouldn't be able to accept it. He wouldn't understand. Rebecca felt like she was on the verge of tears as she pitied him. She had told the truth, she _did _know that Seto had been a good person at one point. She knew that there was still good in him deep down, but it was hard to get past the cold, deadly dictator that he had become. The only person that did on a regular basis was Mokuba.

Rebecca smiled sadly. "You know how we get when we argue, Moki. We're all talk; we don't mean half of the things we say."

Mokuba lifted his head up slightly and let it drop back to the desk with a thud. "I wish you wouldn't."

"I know, and I wish that too. We just…we both get under each other's skin. It's difficult to get past that," Rebecca said, almost mournfully. She slid her hand into Mokuba's and squeezed it tightly. "The only thing we can both agree on is how amazing you are."

Mokuba blushed and intertwined his fingers with hers. "At least I have you and Seto…but I wish I could see the world. I wish I could go outside again."

Rebecca beamed at him. "You will one day. One day _you _will rule Japan, and everyone will rejoice."

* * *

On the other side of that very city, an old man was dragged from his home by military officers. He shouted insults at them left and right, causing them to reprimand them with a nightstick. A young boy, around the age of 16, dashed out of the house after them, only to be restrained by a female officer. He cried out to the old man in disdain, tears streaming down his face.

The officers threw the old man into the back of their car. The female officer pushed the boy away, causing him to fall on his back as she ran to join the others. She entered the car and she drove away, leaving the young boy to fend for himself.

He wept profusely, unable to contain his sadness. He didn't care anymore. He had lost all of his family.

Concealed in some bushes, a pair of crimson eyes studied the boy.

"I hate that…that son of a…" the boy pulled his knees up to his chin and rested his forehead on them. "Does God hate me? Does he like to watch me suffer?" The small teen looked up at the sky defiantly. "Well, do you? You let him take my parents, my grandfather, and my…" The boy choked out another sob, unable to finish his accusation. "I'm all alone now."

He heard a rustle in the bushes next to him. He jerked his head in that direction to get a good look, but he saw nothing. He sighed sadly, just as a warm hand slid onto his shoulder.

"You're never alone, Yugi Mutou."

Yugi jumped. He was on his feet now, a good distance from where he had been sitting. He whirled around fearfully, only to see the last person he ever expected to meet again.

"I've always been here, waiting and watching."

Yugi gawked at the older man, his heart jumping into his throat. He couldn't bring himself to speak, his mouth moved but words never formed. He merely stared at the ghost, the man that wasn't supposed to be alive, unsure of what to do. He began to shake as he went into shock. His face turned unnaturally pale.

The man's crimson eyes widened at his reaction. He jumped up from the stairs he had been sitting on and stepped toward Yugi just in time to catch him as he fainted. The man picked him up and carefully guided him back into the house. He placed Yugi on the couch in the living room and brushed the boy's lightning like bangs out of his face. He smiled as elated tears pricked his eyes.

"At last, we can be reunited, my brother. No one will ever harm you again."

Yugi smiled slightly in his sleep as if he had heard his brother's comforting words. The man chuckled gleefully as he admired his younger sibling.

For the first time in years, Yami Mutou was happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Alright, I got some great feedback on this story, and today I felt inspired to finish this chapter. I hope you like it! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter! Reviews are appreciated.

* * *

Yugi sat up and stretched his arms, unsure of when he had fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered was crying over his grandfather. He glanced down at the coffee table that sat next to the couch and frowned. Lying on top of it was a cup of hot cocoa.

Yugi picked it up hesitantly, knowing that it was impossible for it to have been recently made. He was all alone. His entire family had been stolen from him by Kyuusei. Yet, when he brought the cup to his lips, he immediately withdrew it because of how hot it was. It couldn't have been made more than five minutes before he had awakened.

"It's nice to see that you're finally awake. I knew the smell of hot cocoa would do the trick."

Yugi blinked. He recognized the voice instantly, and suddenly the memory of his brother's seemingly impossible return hit him like a brick wall. He also remembered fainting, which explained why he had been asleep.

Yugi frowned and his brow furrowed as he continued to stare at the cup. He couldn't bring himself to look his brother in the eye, still afraid that it was all just an illusion fabricated by his mind in a desperate attempt to not be lonely.

"Yugi…" Yami said softly, soothingly.

Yugi tightened his hold on the cup and continued to stare blankly ahead. He had so many things that he wanted to say, but only one of those things actually slipped out of his mouth. "If you've been alive all this time, why didn't you tell me?"

Yami walked around the couch and knelt before his younger brother. Yugi's eyes studied him, still bewildered by the idea of him being alive. Yami tried to smile, but it was a pathetic attempt. He knew that Yugi was bound to be angry over what he was about to say.

"It was for your own good. It was to keep you safe. You cannot even begin to understand how much it tormented me to not see you, Yugi," he whispered and looked away.

Yugi had the cup in a vice grip now. He stood up abruptly, catching the attention of Yami once more. "I don't understand? No, _you _don't understand! For almost two years I've believed you to be dead! My brother, my best friend! You suddenly show up, tell me that you're not dead, and you just expect me to feel nothing but joy? I feel hurt, betrayed!"

Yami nodded solemnly. "What you don't understand is that I knew you were hurting. I saw you when you received the news of my 'death' and it killed me. But I couldn't say a word. Knowing that you believed me to be dead, knowing that you were in pain and not being able to do anything about it…that's what you can't understand. It…it was hell."

Yugi's expression softened and he plopped down on the couch again. He took a sip of his hot cocoa and stared intently at Yami. "Tell me _why. _If you supposedly _couldn't _tell me, why did you wait until now?"

Yami's expression crumpled in sadness. "It was because of me that our parents were taken away. I couldn't let that happen to grandpa. He had to look after you; I wanted you to have as normal a life as you could inside of this chaotic mess of a country. I made a promise to you the day those officers took our parents away. I promised not to reveal myself to you unless I was all you had left." Yami chanced a look into Yugi's eyes, which were glistening. "Yugi, I've been watching you. I've been waiting for the inevitable. My foolhardy rebellious tactics triggered a chain reaction, and I knew one day you would be left alone." Yami placed his hands on each of Yugi's, which were still holding onto the cup very tightly. "I want you to live with me. We'll never be apart. You'll never be alone."

A few stray tears slid down Yugi's cheeks. Yami beamed at him and wiped the tears away with his sleeve. "Where do you live?"

Yami smirked. "Oh, it's nothing special."

* * *

Rebecca tapped her pen against her clipboard. Her next appointment was a half hour late, and she was beginning to get worried. Whenever one of her patients _wasn't _a soldier or military scientist, she would get excited. She liked being able to spend time with _real _people instead of those that Seto had turned into mindless zombies.

She sighed deeply. Mokuba didn't know what Seto had done to Japan…in fact, it was for the best. If Mokuba learned that his brother had turned into a power hungry animal he would fall apart. Rebecca would never be able to live with herself if that happened.

Rebecca glanced down at the clipboard again. "Solomon Mutou…" she read aloud, her brow furrowing in deep thought. "That name sounds so familiar."

She sat there for a long time merely staring at the name. Her eyes then drifted over the rest of the patient's information, eventually reaching the man's age.

Rebecca smiled in recognition. "Oh that's right, grandpa spoke of him…" Rebecca trailed off as her thoughts lingered on her missing grandfather. It didn't take a genius to find out where he had been carted off to.

Seto Kaiba had enlisted Arthur Hawkins to be one of his researchers, one of his weapons engineers. Arthur had refused, spitting on the idea of serving the man who was running Japan into the ground and causing pain to its many inhabitants. He disappeared soon after.

Rebecca bit her lip to keep from crying. She missed her grandfather every day. The possibility of seeing one of his best friends as a patient was great, but that only increased her worry since the patient was forty-five minutes late…

The phone rang. Rebecca jumped, surprised at hearing the noise after sitting in silence for so long. She reached out for the receiver shakily and picked it up, pulling it to her ear.

"This is Dr. Hawkins."

"Good afternoon, Rebecca."

Rebecca's eyes widened in horror at the sound of the voice on the other line: it was her grandfather's kidnapper himself.

"S-Seto…why are you calling me here?" she tried to mask the fear and hatred in her voice, but she didn't do a very good job of it.

Seto chuckled. "Why, I need a doctor, of course. I was forced to fire my previous physician."

Rebecca shook her head and frowned. "Why me?"

"As you know, I have plenty of enemies. You, however, I can trust…for if you try to dispose of me, Mokuba will never forgive you…and I'm sure that's incentive enough for you to keep me alive."

Rebecca gritted her teeth. He was right. "Did you move my three o'clock appointment?"

"It has been taken care of."

Rebecca sneered. "You can't do that! You can't move appointments without the consent of the patient, that's wrong, illegal even!"

"I'm the leader of Japan, I can bend anything to my will. I have armies at my command and the controls to thousands of missile launches at my fingertips…and you're telling me that I can't move a measly appointment? You're delusional if you believe the law applies to me!" Seto growled impatiently. There was a short pause as Seto calmed himself. He chuckled once more. "Besides, how could he possibly come in for an appointment when he's not even in town?"

Rebecca's blood turned to ice. "H-how do you know he's not in town?"

There was another brief pause. "Let's just say…he's visiting an old friend."

Pain erupted in Rebecca's heart. Of course, Seto's statement could've meant anything…but Rebecca knew the true meaning behind it. Solomon Mutou was gone. He was with her grandfather.

"You're a monster."

Seto laughed joyously. "Now, now…be nice, Dr. Hawkins...unless you wish to join them, that is."

Tears streaked down Rebecca's face as her hand tightened on the receiver. "You can't, Mokuba would never forgive you…"

Seto snorted. "Who are you trying to convince, me, or yourself?" He paused. "He would never believe anyone that called me a kidnapper, a murderer." He paused again for dramatic effect. "No one would ever know the truth, Dr. Hawkins…no one would ever look for you. No one would ever save you. With the wave of my hand, I could have you paraded off to Kul Elna and no one would bat an eyelash."

Kul Elna…the camp where her grandfather and Solomon Mutou were being held…held until their deaths. It was a horribly kept secret from the start. Anyone who spoke out against the tyrant that was Seto Kaiba…disappeared. Rebecca had heard rumors that the prisoners were worked to the bone, with little to eat or drink, even through sickness, rain or shine. They were worked until they couldn't be used anymore…

Rebecca's hands trembled as she began to weep. "P-please…Seto…let them go… and just…just leave me be…please…"

There was silence on the other line. For the longest time, Rebecca merely sobbed into the receiver for the dictator of Japan to hear. After a while, she began to wonder if he had hung up.

"I'll be expecting to have a slot of your time opened up for me tomorrow morning. Perhaps if you do your job well, I'll consider it."

_Click._

For a moment she just sat there, staring at Solomon Mutou's name and listening to the dial tone. It was like her mind had shut down in that instant…and then violently rebooted in the next.

She stood abruptly from her chair and ripped the phone out of the wall. She chucked it across the room with a furious shriek. She swiped her clipboard and other papers to the ground along with her pencil holder, causing the room to echo with the clatter of the metal on the tile.

She kicked the metal cabinet behind her desk multiple times before dropping to her knees in defeat. She pounded her fist against the cabinet as tears continued to stream down her cheeks like waterfalls.

She knew that she would never see her grandfather again. She knew that her own life was teetering over the abyss. Not even Mokuba's friendship could save her now.

Seto Kaiba was already planning her disappearance. She could feel it.

Her only hope was to beat him to the punch.

* * *

"The old museum? You've got to be kidding me!"

Yami raised an eyebrow as he glanced down into Yugi's disbelieving face. "Why's that?"

Yugi tilted his head to the side. "If you've lived here this whole time, how have they not found you?"

Yami looked back up at the museum. "I haven't been living here this whole time. We move from place to place, staying at each one until we feel that it is unsafe." Yami smiled. "This home is my favorite."

"…We?" Yugi asked in confusion. Yami didn't offer him an explanation, however.

Yugi followed his gaze and stared at the museum. It was broken down and abandoned…what could possibly be so special about it? Gozaburo Kaiba had maintained the museum during his reign over Japan. He had believed that the past was a great learning tool in order to better the future. Ancient civilizations from all over the world had been represented in the Domino City Museum.

When Seto Kaiba had taken over after Gozaburo's mysterious death, he had shut down the museum. Seto didn't believe in living in the past. He believed in looking to the future and the future alone.

Yugi jumped slightly in surprise as Yami grasped his hand. Yugi grinned up at his brother happily.

"It's your move," Yami told him. "If you don't want to live here with me I'll completely understand."

Yugi laughed. "That's a funny joke. Of course I want to live with you!" In order to prove his point, Yugi surged forward in a sprint, dragging Yami along with him by the hand.

Yami chuckled at his little brother's enthusiasm as they entered the old building. It was indeed in horrible shape. The floors were a mess; papers strewn over the floor and broken glass everywhere. There was strange graffiti on the walls and some of the doors were hanging off their hinges. Yugi stared at the mess in total awe as Yami pulled him along gently.

"Believe me, it gets better."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. _I sure hope so…_ he thought skeptically.

They walked through the halls, Yugi taking in the different exhibits. They were all in total disarray. Many of the display cases had been broken, and many of the artifacts had been stolen. Paintings and mannequins had been vandalized.

Finally, they reached a closed off room. Yugi glanced up at the sign hanging above their heads, which read: The People of the Nile.

He looked over at Yami, who was watching him with a smirk. Yugi's heart began to beat faster. This had to be it…this room had to be what was so special.

Yami gestured for Yugi to enter first, and Yugi didn't hesitate. He quickly pushed the door open and burst into a scene of absolute beauty.

The ancient Egyptian exhibit had been preserved perfectly.

Glorious golden artifacts lay beneath untouched display cases and the walls were adorned with astounding Egyptian paintings. Lit torches hung on the walls, illuminating every inch of the chamber. In the center of the room there was a throne. Besides the display cases and exhibit descriptions around the room, it was obvious that the chamber was the recreation of an ancient pharaoh's throne room.

Lying on the throne, however, was the most remarkable artifact of all…and it was one Yugi was quite familiar with.

He sprinted to the massive chair and scooped up the golden necklace. He traced his fingers over the lines covering the strange, upside down pyramid. He turned around to face his older brother with tears in his eyes.

"The Millennium Puzzle…Yami, you finished it!"

Yami beamed at him. "It was all I had left of you, Yugi."

Yami slowly approached Yugi and gently took the Puzzle from him. He placed the intricate artifact around his neck and sat down on the throne.

"I remember coming here as a kid," Yugi said. "They had some guy dress up like a pharaoh and sit in that chair. He would tell kids stories about the ancient Egyptians and everything." Yugi laughed and shook his head. "I never thought I would be living here."

Yami reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. He shuffled it and then held it out to Yugi. "Would you mind playing a game of Five Card Draw with me?"

Yugi smiled. "Sure, why not?"

They each took turns drawing until they both had five. They each looked at their hands, and Yugi handed Yami two cards that he wanted to discard. After, he drew two more and smiled. He looked up at Yami, who merely sat there with a satisfied smirk.

Yugi blinked at him in confusion. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Yami's smirk widened. "I don't have to."

Yugi frowned and then shrugged. He showed Yami his hand, revealing two aces and three queens. "Full house!" he declared triumphantly.

Yami nodded. "That's very good, Yugi…but I'm afraid I have you beat."

Yugi stared at him in disbelief. "No way, show me!"

Yami drummed his fingers against his cards before revealing them to his little brother. Yugi gawked at the cards in disbelief, not even noticing as two doors in the back of the room opened.

Yami chuckled deeply. "Royal flush," he stated calmly.

Yugi dropped his cards, allowing them to float slowly to the floor. He reached out and snatched Yami's cards, examining each one individually. He shook his head. "B-but…you didn't even _do _anything…"

Yugi looked up at Yami, only to realize that they were no longer alone. At least thirty people had assembled behind Yami's throne, each wearing a black hooded cloak. Each hood had a golden eye on the top, similar to the eye on the front of the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi searched Yami's eyes for an explanation, but all his brother did was grab one of the cards in Yugi's hand. He held it up for Yugi to see, and realization set in.

Yami was holding up the king of spades.

Yugi looked at each of the thirty faces gathered behind the throne before gazing at his brother in a new light. Yugi nodded in acknowledgment and respect.

"You're the King of Games."


End file.
